We asked some brilliant entrepreneurs, artists and creatives to reflect on lessons they’ve learned at prior jobs. We’ve shared highlights below.

Erin Anderson

This would probably go into the best boss that I have ever had category as well. My former boss/employer/mentor Malia Lazu taught me “the power of managing up” and the importance of seeking clarity. I think in most relationships, professional or personal, the most common place where we “fail” or drop the ball is communication. The phrase, “what I’m hearing you say is…” or to repeat back to the other person the list of: expectations, to dos, next steps, purpose of the project, etc. Read more>>

Kayla Powers

I have always been interested in plants so for many years I worked on different farms or gardens or doing landscaping and in the process I learned so much about growing and about the natural world that has informed my art practice. Read more>>

Morgan Jones

Before taking the leap and becoming a full-time Artist I was the Director of Sales for a large consumer electronic company. I basically applied the business acumen that I developed over a decade in my corporate life to creating a business out of my art. I am self-taught artist and I treat the business of creating art as a business, because that’s what it is to me. Granted, It is a business that I love as well as my passion but it is still a business and having financial obligations I treat it as such. Read more>>

Jessica Hetu

I’ve worked in the weddings & events industry for my entire career. While being an event planner is a fun and unique job, it is also a highly stressful and demanding role. Fall and spring are the busy seasons, where I used to have 1-3 weddings every week for the whole season. The thing about the hospitality industry though is that you’re constantly serving others, so much so that oftentimes, I would forget to take care of myself and my own mental wellbeing. This quickly led to burnout, crashing, and many tears. Read more>>

Hattie Nottleman

After I graduated from college, I was offered what I thought was my dream job as a bench jeweler. Not only was the location and pay great, but it was a position at one of the top jewelry stores in the area. I worked there for a few months trying to convince myself that this was a great fit for me. The only issue was that I hated it! All along I thought that being a bench jeweler was what I wanted but when it came down to it, Read more>>

Nicqueva Haughton

When I was 19 years old I got a job as a Sales Associate at Ann Taylor. I quickly moved my way up to Assistant Manager and I stayed there for about 2.5 years. Ann Taylor taught me all about customer service and quality product. There was a culture that I had to learn, embody, and then project when I was out on the sales floor. The store display and cleanliness was vital. There was literally no stone left unturned. I remember arriving to work every morning, vacuuming the dressing room floors, making sure all the racks with hanging clothes were finger spaced, cleaning windows, board folding clothes and so much more. Read more>>

Skylah Ballard

Sometimes things work and sometimes, they just don’t. After 6.5 years as a commission stylist and 5 years as a booth renter, I decided to partner up with a friend and open my own salon in 2021. We opened the doors when I had a newborn baby and was working VERY part-time. Without going too far into all the details, I will just say that I learned very quickly that partnering up with someone to own our own business, was not the right thing to do. Read more>>

Erin Paige

The most important lesson learned from a prior position is to come into every situation from a heart-centered space. The energetic will be felt by all whether they realize it or not. In 2019, I took a corporate position as a regional sales manager covering all states of west the Mississippi. It was a big territory to cover not only geographically, but also big in the sense I had much to take care of since my predecessor had made promises and claims he knew the company could not keep. Read more>>

April Terry

Prior to working in academia, I worked as a psychologist for my state’s only juvenile correctional facility. Even with the formal education, license, continuing education, and supervision, I was not prepared to understand the complexities of the life of an incarcerated girl. I quickly learned that incarcerated populations are much more than their assigned inmate number or the offense(s) they committed. I realized for incarcerated girls, you had to first address their chronic abuse histories before considering looking at their offense cycle. In most instances, their own victimizations are what led to their delinquency. Read more>>

Ron Elliott Jr.

As an entrepreneur I always chose work that I thought I’d enjoy. My family and friends would ask why I’d switch careers so often. The truth is that I was searching for what I really wanted to do. The one thing I learned as a result was the idea of transferable skills. Each business that I engaged in provided me with a skill that I was able to carry into the film business. My advice is to take every life experience and look for the lesson. Those lessons can be applied to help you succeed in your business. Read more>>

Dawn Marie Morris

My previous jobs positioned me well for the work that I do in my business. I worked in Corporate America for several years in the training and development space. both as a facilitator and as a leader. I enjoyed the work. It kept me curious which fueled my desire to learn more about being an excellent facilitator. When I became the regional leadership development trainer for Dicks’ Sporting Goods and traveled the country training their leaders, I found my sweet spot. Read more>>

Bailey Gower

I was an AC (Assistant Camera) for a short film a few months ago and had no idea what I was doing as it was my first time on a professional set. I made mistakes that I should have been fired for, but the DP (Director of Photography) I worked with showed me how to improve and challenged me on this shoot. One of the many things he taught me was how clear you needed to be as a communicator, but also how to be a good leader. Read more>>

Brent Rassi

My profession in Chiropractic began a few months before COVID started. As a new physician, you worry about telling patients the right things, creating the best treatment plan, writing errorless notes, etc. As I was pushing through all of these “firsts”, COVID hit. This added so many new struggles along with what I was experiencing. The most important lesson I took from this experience was how to ADAPT. There was a period of time where our clinics were closed. Read more>>

Brianna Knight.

One of the key lessons that I learned while working for a corporation was that being resourceful was key in being successful. It’s not always about what you’re given but what you do with what’s given. As a contact representative for the Department of Treasury, it is understood that you must provide administrative and technical assistance to individuals and businesses within a specific timeframe. Typically, calls are to be handled within five to seven minutes. In order to finish calls within that amount of time, you have to identify the taxpayers issues and take the necessary steps to escalate and/or resolve them. Read more>>

Lorinze Bennett

I remember I was fresh out the Army & I moved to Atlanta, GA for a while. My first job out of the military was working for the JCPenny Distribution Center, basically warehouse labor. I was having trouble getting a routine down for the the station I was working on. I had to scan boxes from a conveyor belt & transfer them to a pallet. It was at the point I wasn’t meeting the quota for the day. Most days I would come in & my line would already be filled with packages from 1st shift. So the lead at the time helped retrain me his way. Read more>>

Silent Fox

Like many artists, Silent Fox began creating and drawing what she loved as a child. She would draw my favorite cartoon characters and in class, she would draw on the side of my notebooks. In retrospect, Fox didn’t realize how frequently she was creating until friends and family encouraged her to become an artist. Known for her chill vibes and creative drive, Silent lives a multifaceted lifestyle devoted to visual art and graphic design. Silent has been creating for a lifetime and still continues today. Read more>>

Jacqueline DiTrapano

At the young age of 19 I graduated from massage therapy school, I immediately passed the national board exam and received my license. I quickly jumped into the field and began my career, three years pass and in that time, I was still searching for something more- I was exposed to various types of companies and bosses (resort spas, chiropractic offices, gyms, etc.). Some businesses and bosses were good, most OK, and a handful of bad. Read more>>

Jennifer Schwytzer

Your job is not everything. When you take a step back and reflect on what’s most important in your life, it’s usually not your job. I was experiencing stress, self doubt, anxiety and overwhelm in my job – I would show up and feel so discouraged, not feeling like myself. It took a significant medical issue that my husband experienced for me to take a step back to figure out what was important in my life and how to truly pay attention to my priorities. Read more>>

Mia Robinson

I had a government job for most of my adult life (from 22-33 years old). Initially it was great because it was seasonal. I’ve always had to be selective in the type of job/career to work in because having sickle cell disease didn’t allow me the freedom or flexibility to explore career fields. I also needed benefits. This was before Obamacare was passed. As years passed, I got a promotion for a permanent position. For about 3-4 years as a permanent employee, the demands started weighing on me physically. Read more>>

Randy Akers

Jerry Saltz, the self-esteemed Art Critic, recently posted his first five jobs on Instagram. Here are mine: Strawberry picker (Summer job). 13-15 years old. Picking strawberries was just plain boring but gave me the chance to flirt with the girls also picking. Yes, I got fired a couple times, once for putting firecrackers inside the hood of the farmer’s transport bus. Sweep sidewalks and clean dime store windows (After School). 14-17 years old. Read more>>

Alexia Kane.

Lexi: I went to college for Graphic Design and Spanish. When I was studying abroad in Spain, I began to look for jobs back in Eau Claire for when I returned. A local business called Tangled up in Hue was hiring a graphic designer, so I applied and got the job! Once I started working, the job was more than just graphic design. Tangled up in Hue is self described as “a local art gallery and gift shop showcasing the work of over 150 artists and crafters”. It’s a women owned and operated shop (apart from some of the screen-printing work), Read more>>